Prior to the news, the one-woman-business already had a 200-plus-person waitlist and it only continued to climb.
The 23-year-old said it was a great feeling to be able to reopen the doors to The Beauty Project by Sophie on Monday, June 1.
“I'd started to achieve everything that I wanted to do during isolation and I was really itching to get my hands on some eyebrows,” Miss de Wys said.
With the waitlist surpassing 300, the Shepparton woman spent days coordinating bookings, working down the list from 6 am in the morning until 10 pm at night.
“As soon as it was a go, I just started contacting 10 at a time getting them in and then another 10 and so on,” she said.
“It felt like it was like Christmas and it just made me feel like everyone still wants to come to me.”
Within days June was completely booked out.
After months without professional beauty services, Miss de Wys said eyebrow waxing and tinting were the most sought-after followed by lash lifts.
“I love doing all brows, it's my favorite thing to do,” she said.
“If you have your lashes or your brows done you just wake up feeling really good about yourself.”
Miss de Wys said she was forced to extend business hours due to popular demand but also to ensure safety came first.
While she always wears gloves, she will now also wear a mask and can no longer allow extra people like children or parents to attend appointments.
“I wanted to allow time in between each client so I didn't have clients crossing over and I can sterilise everything in between,” she said.
“I probably could have fit more in but it just wasn't worth risking it.
“I have made up a COVID safety plan to be sent out to all my clients, it's got information to make sure they're aware of what the symptoms are, that they don't have any of them, they haven't been in contact with people overseas, they sign it, they send it back to me.”
Two years ago when she opened her home studio, Miss de Wys never expected it would be halted by a global pandemic but has spent the time building her brand and learning new treatments.
“It was very stressful but I'm lucky that I had very supportive clients,” she said.
“I've tried to make the most of it and it's given me more time to branch out a little bit.”
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